Government announced a fairly substantial legislative agenda for the new parliamentary session yesterday, despite the imminence of a general election.But Craig Cannonier, Leader of the Opposition One Bermuda Alliance, condemned the Speech from the Throne for offering “no economic recovery plan, no jobs plan, and no help or hope for families struggling to make ends meet.”And interim leader of the United Bermuda Party Kim Swan argued that the latest Throne Speech is unnecessary given the looming election.Premier Paula Cox told a post Throne Speech press conference that her administration had every intention of following through on her proposals and insisted that her party’s election platform is separate from the Throne Speech.“You will be forgiven for thinking that it is electioneering because of the substance that it contains,” Ms Cox said.“But what we’re doing is working and listening to the people.”Asked whether she intended to fulfill the legislative agenda outlined in the Throne Speech before she calls the election, Ms Cox said: “It is my intention to have an election called at the appropriate time.”Said Mr Swan in a statement last night: “A Throne Speech with only 12 maximum weeks remaining on a five-year term is unnecessary.“Additionally it is important to appreciate that Bermuda has had seven throne speeches in five years, which makes this Throne Speech political. This lends itself to our argument that fixed term elections are required and benefit Bermuda.“The initiatives outlined by Government can fairly be characterised as a last minute pre-election 'to do list' aimed at creating a feel good factor to deflect attention away from present day social and economic challenges.”While the Speech sounded a positive tone on economic prospects for Bermuda with a declaration that “Bermuda is poised in the coming year to break the grip of this seemingly unending recession,” Ms Cox backed away from predicting when economic growth will return, saying that she was not in the business of making economic predictions but that her Government’s agenda was to increase economic activity with a view to increasing GDP.“In America, unemployment appears to have bottomed out, housing prices are rebounding, and wages have ticked up for the first time in a decade,” continued Governor George Fergusson reading his first Throne Speech.“In Europe, austerity measures are taking hold. And in Asia, the economies of both China and Japan are strong. These are positive signs that bode well for Bermuda.”Plans to assist society’s more vulnerable members include measures to sweeten life for seniors, broaden the Island’s Economic Empowerment Zones and expand Bermuda’s human rights regime with a new Equality Act.Government also plans to make mandatory screening of children up to three years of age in order to identify any “learning, psychological, motor or social deficits” and oversight of tutorial facilities will be tightened up with amendments to the Education Act.The current screening programme by the Child Development Programme is voluntary and restricted to two-year-olds.Senior citizens will get enhanced health insurance coverage under Future Care which will cover the full costs of generic prescription drugs and visits to general practitioners.And the Salvation Army will get a government property at nominal rent for a homeless shelter.But the biggest applause came with the announcement that Clarence Hill’s achievement as the Island’s only Olympic medal winner is to be recognised with a bronze statute.“It is simply the right thing to do,” said Mr Fergusson.Sports clubs will be assisted to develop their infrastructure with a “multiyear funding plan” intended to help them become financially self sustaining and more “family friendly”.And the Bermuda Industrial Union’s credit union will also receive a grant to support its efforts to provide loans to its members.Ms Cox could not say how much the credit union will receive. But she did volunteer that the grant would not be “extremely high but it will provide some coverage”.She noted that with recent legislative changes the credit union was now “not subject to political vagaries” but “under the remit of an independent regulator.”Measures to improve the economy include a new Tourism Development Act which would effectively be an updated version of the Hotel Concessions Act 2000.“The new Act will take into account the current and future hotel development trends that encompass hybrids of mass mixed-use development products with concessions that are suitably attractive to draw world renowned developers and hotel brands.”At yesterday’s press conference Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert stressed that the National Tourism Plan “is working”.He touted the Throne Speech proposal to give tourists the opportunity to purchase property here, saying that tourism zoned properties were already a feature of the hospitality industry in the Bahamas and Cayman Islands.“This offers jobs, this offers opportunity for further investment in our hotels. And above all it offers long term accommodation for tourists who want to stay here,” Mr Furbert said.Government has also set a goal to double the number of air arrivals over the next ten years and estimate that achieving that goal would result in doubling the tax revenue and a five percent growth in GDP.Government’s ambitions also include turning Bermuda into a world leader in the “Blue Economy” — starting with the development of a National Aquaculture Strategy — to “develop a myriad of marine-based industries”.But Environment and Infrastructure Minister Marc Bean revealed that he had reallocated $600,000 from a fish processing facility to the “completion of our national infrastructure strategy.”“However, as a Government we place great emphasis on economic diversification. We feel that the blue economy represents the best opportunity for us to do so.”The Speech reiterated that Government had been making efforts to develop business opportunities with the Gulf Cooperation Council. But it went further to suggest that the GCC might have an interest in investing in economic infrastructure projects such as the Hamilton waterfront, the airport and hotels.Youth Minister Glenn Blakeney, whose portfolio includes human rights, revealed that the proposed Equality Act had already been outlined with assistance from an official of the UK’s Equality and Human Rights office.“The bill will seek to address inequalities in our community in a comprehensive manner by affording protection against discrimination for a range of characteristics including age and sexual orientation,” Mr Blakeney said.“For each protected characteristic, the Bill will establish standards of fairness and equality as well as make provision for the redress of inequalities and discriminatory acts.”Economy Minister Patrice Minors elaborated on the Speech’s reference to new community development legislation, explaining that the Parish Councils Act will be repealed and replaced by a Community Council Act.“Through community councils, residents will have a vested interest in ensuring that their respective communities are clean, safe and to the extent possible, that crime is lessened,” Mrs Minors said.“Young people will be engaged in meaningful activities organised by the councils and opportunities for building mutual understanding and positive relationships between young people and seniors in the same community will increase.“All of this will serve to strengthen Bermuda’s social fabric.”Ms Cox noted that the “broad parameters” of the Throne Speech were “jobs, job creation and supporting policies that would encourage job creation”.She added that its key themes also included embracing diversity, fiscal prudence and a community focus.Mr Cannonier was unimpressed.“Bermuda should be very concerned in the midst of an economic crisis that has killed jobs for thousands and spread financial hardship across the country that the Government’s Throne Speech does not address the country’s number one need — which is jobs,” he said in a statement released hours after the Speech on Cabinet lawn.“People need immediate and strong action to ease the serious economic and social pressures they are facing, but the Throne Speech betrays a Government that lost touch with their needs and concerns.“The promises listed in the Speech are recycled from previous Throne Speeches or they are 11th hour, election-eve concessions to long-standing public demands for action. It is not good enough.”l The Throne Speech can be read in full in today’s Royal Gazette, starting on Page 4, and also on our website www.theroyalgazette.com